The present invention relates to a hoist for lifting game animals, and in particular, to such a hoist which is mountable to an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and may be mounted and demounted without the use of permanent fasteners.
Game animals carcasses, particularly those of large animals such as deer, are quite heavy and can present a challenge to the hunter wishing to load a carcass into an ATV. Mechanical hoists are known to be used for this purpose.
Muzzi et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,451) discloses such a hoist for lifting game animals. The Muzzi et al. device is specifically adapted for mounting to the cargo rack of an ATV. The hoist comprises a horizontal boom attached to a vertical support shaft. The hoist is attached to a base. The Muzzi et al. device mounts to the cargo rack with a base using permanent fasteners. The base is provided with slots through which U-bolts are attached. While Muzzi discloses a telescoping vertical shaft and a hand operated winch, it does not disclose a rotating telescoping boom that may be extended manually. Neither does Muzzi disclose any arrangement by which the hoist is easily assembled and disassembled without using bolts or other permanent fasteners.
Hawkins (U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,922) discloses a hoist mounted on a pick-up truck. The hoist includes a telescoping rotatable boom and an outboard support leg. Hawkins does not disclose a means for mounting the device to an ATV cargo rack.
Koscinsky, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,487) likewise discloses an elongated lower mast member, a rotatable cantilevered telescoping boom and a plurality of different mounting members for mounting the assembly to different support structures. Although several different mounting schemes are disclosed, none are specifically adapted to mounting the device to an ATV cargo rack.
Various other patents disclose different types of lifts or hoists mounted to vehicles. York (U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,063) discloses a hoist specifically adapted to lifting game animals. The York device is mounted to a standard trailer hitch. Webb, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,658) also discloses a device for mounting a carrier to the tongue of a trailer hitch.
The problems not solved by the prior art include the desirability of mounting a game hoist to an ATV cargo rack without using bolts or similar permanent fasteners, the need for a boom to be able to extend to lift a game animal carcass over a cargo rack, and the desirability of being able to assemble and disassemble a hoist in the field manually without the use of mechanical fasteners. It is also desirable that a disassembled hoist be compact and easily stowed on an ATV.
The limitations of the prior art are overcome by the present invention as described below.